Web Series GEEK BAR looking for great improv talent

Posting Date:

May 5, 2016

Contact:

larryziegelman@yahoo.com

Email actor submissions to larryziegelman@yahoo.com

Geek Bar
Geek bar is a place for those who have passions for anything geeky…whether it’s sci-fi, super heroes, mythology, technology, whatever it is, this is their safe haven. Despite their differences, and their disputes, the patrons here are a family--a dysfunctional family, but a family nonetheless.
Put “Cheers” and “Silicon Valley” and “The League” in a blender and push “liquefy”. This series will be an improvised show that’s workshopped beforehand. Episodes will be outlined for story, but will be open enough for actors to let loose and play!

The concept of this series comes from the award-winning Chicago filmmaker, Larry Ziegelman. Larry is a 20-year veteran of advertising as well as a writer and director of numerous short films and commercials. His films such as “Little Man of Steel”, “Boom Boom” and “Check Please” have played the film festival circuit for years and are available online at: larryz.com/director.

Now, together with photographer/producer/writer Aaron Gang, they are excited to get this fun, geek-tastic web series off the ground!

Who we are looking for:
Comedy actors that have had years of improvisation through Improv Olympic, Second City, Annoyance or other reputable training program. Someone who can take character specs, digest them and make them your own.
Come in with a fully formed character. Know who they are. What’s their favorite geeky movie, TV show, or sci-fi character? Which sci-fi, comic book character did they have wet dreams about when growing up? How would your character pick-up a lady with their best geeky pickup lines? What geeky nicknames do they call their private parts? You get the idea.
Expect some rehearsals to workshop the episodes and a few days to shoot them. We want this to be a fun, collaborative experience. If you have an episode idea for the series, let’s work it out!

Name: Jan (waitress)
Age: late 20’s, early 30’s.
Ethnicity: Any
She is a tatted-up and tough looking girl who has dreams of one day becoming a musician. She’s been working at Geek Bar for years now and it shows. She’s dry, sarcastic and a self-loathing geek. Every day she wonders why she she’s still working at GeekBar. If you can get through her hard exterior, there’s a warm heart beating inside her… somewhere.
Comic perspective: Just doesn’t give a shit.
Flaw: Rude, negative
Humanity: She really does care

Name Daisy (waitress)
Age: mid 20’s
Ethnicity: White, or mixed
She’s new to Chicago and Geek Bar, and is thrilled to be there. She sweet and lovely to the customers, but not because she wants bigger tips, it’s just her nature. She knows nothing about the geek world, but is open to learning. For Daisy, learning and studying and school have never been her strong suit. She’s always been into fashion, and celebrity/starlet mags. There isn’t a Bachelorette, Kardashian, or “Real Wives” episode she hasn’t seen and loved.

Name: Abby (sister to Josh)
Age: early 20’s
Ethnicity: White
Abby grew up with her older brother, Josh and was raised by her Dad, so that explains why she’s a tomboy. She’s always liked comic books and superheroes kicking bad guy’s asses’ and saving the day. She’s always been more athletic than most of the guys. Because of that and how she presents herself, most guys think she’s gay. She can be attractive, but just doesn’t know yet how to be attractive to the opposite sex. It doesn’t help that she’s painfully awkward around boys she likes. She gets “foot in mouth disease” or “diarrhea of the mouth” along with hyperhidrosis of the hands. But when it’s just the regular guys, she’s good at being sarcastic and giving the shit right back at them.
Comic perspective: Wants to be seen as a desirable woman
Flaw: Painfully awkward (around guys she likes)
Humanity: lonely, hopeless romantic

Name: Josh (brother to Abby)
Age: late 20’s, early 30’s
Ethnicity: Caucasian
He’s book smart but a naïve, overly-trusting, innocent and inexperienced guy (especially sexually). He’s a glass-half-full type of person, without a mean bone in his body. He also wouldn’t know if a girl was hitting on him if she used a hammer. In most cases, he’s the voice of reason in his group of friends.
Comic perspective: Innocence
Flaws: Too trusting, gullible, unaware, socially clueless
Humanity: vulnerability

Name: Leo
Age: late 20’s, early 30’s
Ethnicity: any
Leo’s a guy who’s had a pretty easy life. He’s always been a smart, good-looking, popular athlete. But he has had a secret his entire life. He’s a Geek. He’s finally decided enough is enough, and come out as a geek. The problem is that people don’t believe it, especially geeks. And then there’s the issue that people judge him for how he looks on the outside, not how he feels on the inside. And while girls throw themselves at him, he has what he calls as “anti-game”. The minute he tries to be funny, clever or charming, he screws it up. He met Josh at Space Camp and has been long-distance pals ever since. But now he’s moved to Chicago and is looking to expand his circle of friends.
Perspective: wants acceptance as a geek
Flaw: Too good looking
Humanity: Imperfect and fallible

Name: Augustus, aka: Jean-Luc
Age: late 20’s, early 30’s
Ethnicity: any
Early-adapter. Superficial. Tech snob. He hates his real name so he changed it (not legally). Thinks he’s better looking than he is. Secretly likes Abby. He’s the guy who unabashedly approaches women. Rejection does not affect him—it just rolls right off of him. He likes to think himself as a leader, but no one really likes following him. Enjoys hearing himself talk. He’s a loud-mouth, know-it-all, but is sometimes endearing. Sarcastic.
Comic perspective: Self-centeredness and over-confidence.
Flaw: kind of a snob, talks out of his ass
Humanity: When it comes to women or life, he doesn’t give up

Name: Colin (pronounced like the internal organ)
Age: late 20’s, early 30’s
Ethnicity: any
He gets emotional when he talks about the shows, movies and books that he loves. He’s been known to cry or hyperventilate at the drop of a hat. Usually likes all the movies that most Geeks hate. He’s a Ren-Faire enthusiast, Larper, and Fantasy-gamer. He often gets mocked or picked on by his friends. He laughs it off, but it you can see it hurts.
Comic perspective: Geek Fanatic
Flaw: over-sharer, over-talker
Humanity: Enthusiasm

Name: Hal
Age: late 20’s, early 30’s
Ethnicity: any
He relates better to technology than people. Mostly identifies with the character of Spock. A socially awkward Asperger-type of guy. He’s great with numbers and all things tech-y. He lacks a buffer. He often insults people without meaning to.
Comic perspective : Ignorant of others people feelings
Flaw: Rudeness, awkward
Humanity: Doesn’t understand people. Wishes he did.

Episode Examples:
“The Gauntlet”
The new guy, Leo, wants to join the group. Josh has known Leo since they went to Space Camp as teenagers, but the group, especially, Augustus, doesn’t want any part it. With his “Adonis genetics” the guys feel threatened. They don’t believe he’s a real, true geek. They don’t want him to join the group. After much pleading they say he needs to “pass the gauntlet”. This is a series of questions on any subject matter in the world of geekdom. Each person asks a question. We learn something about the person asking, by the question they ask. The questions might be more subjective rather than right or wrong. For example: Kirk vs. Picard? Star Trek vs. Star Wars? Hottest Orphan Black clone?

Abby, Josh’s sister is clearly attracted to Leo. She might ask a really simple, flirtatious question: “Do you like sushi?” Leo knocks all the answers out of the park! The group agrees and welcomes him as the newest member by chanting some geeky chant ritual.

“Penis Names”
A few of the guys are sitting around talking to two rather attractive girls. The girls, who are way too hot for them, ask them a really blunt, personal question: “What’s your geek nickname for your--appendage?” Some of the guys are shocked but they recover nicely and are up to the challenge, so to speak. The answers range from names like: Vader, light saber, Mjolnir, Vlad the Impaler, Release the Cracken etc. Maybe Josh doesn’t have one. The others give him grief for it. Or give him the name themselves.
They guys tell the girls it their turn. One girl calls her body part “Tribble.” The other girl says hers is the “Final Frontier.” She then lays on a sweet kiss on the girl next to her. The guys get the nickname now, “…where no man has gone before.” All the guys leave disappointed except for Augustus. He’s digging it.

“Pick-up Lines”
It’s cosplay night and the group is doing their darnedest trying to meet girls. We see awkward exchanges and hear terribly geeky pick-up lines from the guys. Even the good-looking guy, Leo, who attracts the hottest girls is nervous, and ruins it every time he opens his mouth.
The guys chart their progress of failures with bar charts and other various graphs as they remind themselves, it’s a “numbers game” and head back in like they entering a battle. A very ugly battle.

“Real Drinks”
Augustus decides they are going to stop drinking the “watered down horse piss light beers” and drink some real alcohol for once in their lives. So they open up the drink menus and decide.
They order various “geek-named” drinks such as: Hulk Punch, Dr. Manhattan, Castle Black and Tan, Sonic Screwdriver, Perry White Russian, Captain Kirk and Coke, Johnny SkyWalker etc.
They are clinking glasses, getting crazy drunk, doing stupid things only drunk people do (in slo-mo, of course) then waitress comes by, “ready for round 2?”